The Gotham Effect
by freakwriterCHM
Summary: One, Gotham has the capability of killing you so fast that you don't even notice that you're not alive anymore. Two, Gotham sells you lies in the form of truths.
1. The Gotham Effect

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters. They all belong to DC Comics/Christopher Nolan.

**A/N:** Theoretically, I should be going to the beach right now. Happy family vacation. BUT things have been screwed up just two days before the departure, and so, bye bye, holidays. Well. More time to write. This is a one-shot that I wrote in the past 2 days, collecting the points of view of four main characters of the "Dark Knight". I hope you'll give it a try.

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1

When Gotham City is your hometown, and the city you grow up in, there are a few essential, fundamental facts that you immediately come to learn.

One, Gotham has the capability of killing you so fast that you don't even notice that you're not alive anymore.

Two, Gotham sells you lies in the form of truths.

When you're both Gotham's most famous billionaire bachelor, and Gotham's most infamous bat-dressed vigilante, these fundamental, essential facts collide onto you like a waterfall of rocks; they hit and they hurt, and somehow there is a mere possibility of survival. And in Gotham, you survive. When you're Gotham's most famous billionaire bachelor, and Gotham's most infamous bat-dressed vigilante, this is how you explain the essential, fundamental facts that you came to learn as a child:

One, Gotham has killed you so fast that you don't even notice that you're not alive anymore. And when you decide to act for the good of all, and you try to save people, and you do not succeed, and therefore you're blamed for something you didn't even think about doing, you finally come to realize that you are not alive anymore, and it seems very logical to you. You remember that one night you witnessed your parents' murder, and you remember that you couldn't do anything, and you remember that police officer saying "We caught him", and you remember going away, and coming back, and away, and back, and then you decide to change things, and you change things – _forever_, and you fight criminals, and you kill criminals. And then you're framed, then someone else pops out and actually asks why you decided to do this in the first place, but now you cannot go back. You would like to, but you cannot go back. And you fight, and you find somebody who could be your – _hero_? – substitute, and you lose him, then you lose the person you love, then you lose everything, but you just cannot go back. And just then, when you have tried to save Gotham once again, someone else pops out and asks, why is someone like you wandering around? And you realize, you do realize that it's actually impossible to save Gotham, but it is too late to go back. They blame you for something you didn't do, and they chase you, hunt you. And you wish you would get caught, but it's too late to go back. You cannot go back.

Two, Gotham sells you lies in the form of truths. And when you're Bruce Wayne, you're the blatant proof that this is utterly true.

2

He calls this 'The Gotham Effect'.

It's in Gotham's nature. It's something that wasn't created, produced, sold, or manufactured. It's inside Gotham. It's there since the day Gotham was built. Since the day the first brick was put on Gotham's ground. It's been there for ages. This doesn't mean that it has showed itself immediately.

If he were a doctor – and he isn't, he's just a butler – he'd probably write down its causes and its symptoms, because the Gotham Effect is, has been, and will always be, a disease. Now, he's not a doctor, but he knows the symptoms and the final consequences of it. And perhaps, if he thinks of it, he even knows the cause.

He works for one of the greatest families ever existed – the Waynes. They live in a somewhat old castle called after them – Wayne Manor – and they're honest people. To them, he's not a servant; he's a friend. And to them, he's not a butler; he's a mentor.

His master, Thomas Wayne, changes the city, and gives it a new face. He doesn't know that, before changing Gotham, he should have asked. Gotham doesn't like to be changed. And that's when the Gotham effect strikes its first blow.

Years later, his master, Bruce Wayne, tries to change things again. He stands against Gotham, and Gotham stands against him. But Gotham should not be underestimated; and the Gotham Effect strikes its second blow. (This time it's not direct; it kills the people you love the most.)

But if he thinks of it, he comes to realize something else. There is some kind of invisible veil, that covers Gotham City. It's the Gotham Effect.

Now, his master, Bruce Wayne, lies unconscious on his bed (after he – his butler, mentor, friend – has healed his wounds). Gotham has hit him so hard, and with so many blows, that he doesn't seem to have the force to open his eyes, and go on. But he, as his butler, as his mentor, and as his friend, knows that the next day, he will wake up, get up, wait for the darkness to come, and go on. (With a few more scars, outside and inside.)

There is some kind of invisible power, that overwhelms Gotham City; officers are corrupt, crime rates get higher and higher, and there is only one person standing against it – and it's his master, again. Death is all around; disruption reigns; corruption is second-in-command. It's the Gotham Effect.

3

Gotham is double-faced.

There is no birth without death; no justice without crime; no happiness without pain; no officer without a mobster; no vigilante without a criminal; no heads without tails.

The positive aspect of the situation is: you have a 50% of possibilities in any case. One thing may be right, or wrong; fair, or unfair; logical, or illogical; black, or white – there is no grey. You never have more than two choices – not in Gotham. Why is it positive?

It is easier to choose. Birth or death? Justice or crime? Happiness or pain? Officer or mobster? Vigilante or criminal? Heads or tails?

That's really it – his philosophy. And he is a representative of it. One side of his face is birth; the other side is death. One side of his face is justice; the other side is injustice. One side of his face is the officer; the other side is the mobster. One side of his face is the vigilante; the other side is the criminal.

He is two things in one body, and he knows he cannot have both things, so he has to choose. Because that's Gotham's challenge – you must be able to choose. Sometimes it's difficult, sometimes it's not. Sometimes, all you have to do is flip a coin.

Heads, you live.

Tails, you die.

4

Gotham is _funny_.

He's always thought so, and he will always think so. And it's not a city; it's a _world_. It has its own law and order, its own citizens – and they are unique citizens, or at least, that's the word he would use to refer to himself – and moreover, it does not have limits.

In Gotham you can do anything you would like to do. For instance, if you asked him a report of a personal experience, he would tell you that he robbed banks and killed people, and oh… he's still there. Or, he would tell you that he's provoked a rebellion; he would tell you that he has taken the one person that is known as Gotham's White Knight, and he has turned him into someone else. Someone who is, at the present moment, dead.

That is why he has confidence in Gotham; Gotham will never fail to entertain him. He can do anything he wants, and more. Oh, and, he can do anything he wants even if he's locked in a padded cell at Gotham's top House of Fun.

If you asked him what he intends to do now that he's there, he'd reply that he's not a schemer, but a deeper look into his eyes would tell you that he has some plans. And that he is convinced that even if he is locked in a lunatic asylum, he can still do whatever he wants.

He thinks that in a city like Gotham, you could as well drive your psychiatrist insane.

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_Constructive criticism, in other words, reviews, are always appreciated. And, they make my days a lot better. Thanks for reading._


	2. Gothamphobia

**A/N:** I'm at it again. I'm writing some more of these… I don't even know how to call them. I'm adding comic book characters' POVs in this one. And I'm thinking that I'll leave this story 'open', just in case that more drabbles or something like that come to mind.

I am dedicating this to **ALL** my reviewers. Because they know how to make me happy.

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5

Gotham is fear.

And its inhabitants are afraid. They scream and they cry and they run and they fall into despair. And that's when Gotham wins.

They become filthy and evil just because Gotham wants them to. They become corrupted officers, mobsters, drug dealers, rapists, robbers, assassins, or they don't, and they die. But those who die are the lucky ones, he'll tell you that. Because the scum of Gotham is pervaded by fear. And it doesn't take a brilliant mind to understand that if you want Gotham to actually _like_ you, you have to follow its rules. And you have to _please_ Gotham.

Gotham is fear, and Gotham _likes_ fear, and if you use fear and make it your invincible weapon, you gain what is necessary to conquer Gotham.

Deep down, he knows that fear is something that Gotham's inhabitant will be subjected to, sooner or later, and he asks himself, _why not being the source of that same fear_?

And for some time, he _is_ the source of that fear. And it's gratifying, because he's always thought about the different existing kinds of fear. _Acrophobia_, the fear of heights. _Claustrophobia_, the fear of being trapped in a limited space. _Nyctophobia_, the fear of darkness. _Xenophobia_, the fear of strangers. _Algophobia_, the fear of pain. _Necrophobia_, the fear of death. _Phobophobia_ – the fear of fear itself.

There is another kind of fear – the kind of fear whose name you _won't_ find in a book. He'll tell you that you won't, because _he_ invented the name for it.

It's acrophobia, claustrophobia, nyctophobia, xenophobia, algophobia, necrophobia, and phobophobia – it's one fear, yet it's _all_ of them. The symptoms? He'll tell you the symptoms: you feel like you're _falling_, endlessly, and suddenly you're _trapped_, in the utter _darkness_; and you're surrounded by _strangers_ (although, if you take a closer look, they aren't so different from _you_), and these strangers will _hurt_ you, because it's in their nature. And you'll probably _die_ – if you're _lucky_.

And, most of all, you are _scared of being scared_.

This fear has a name; _he_ has thought of it. It's the same fear he had _produced_, the same fear he has _sold_, the same fear he has _provoked_ – the same fear he has, in the end, been _subjected to_.

It's called _Gothamphobia_.

And he has experienced it.

6

Gotham is a woman.

Otherwise, she wouldn't feel this kind of _solidarity_. If Gotham were a man, she would feel it, oh yes, she would.

Besides, if Gotham were a man, _he_'d understand its logic. But _he_ doesn't. That is why – no matter how people look at it – _he_ will always lose. She is convinced that if Gotham weren't a woman, _he_ would have no sense, no meaning, _he_ would be _nothing_.

But then, men know nothing of women, men don't understand women – not at all. And at first, when she made her first appearance, _he_ didn't understand.

So provoking, so tantalizing, so tempting, so _feminine_. She looks at him in the eyes every time, and every time she knows that she's got him right where she wants him. He's _hers_; totally, utterly, completely hers.

And it makes her feel powerful. And it makes her feel accomplished. And it makes her feel _good_. And it makes her feel like she's sharing her wide smile with Gotham itself – _her_self.

At first she admits that he's confused – the next time he's curious – and then he's _eager_. He wants _more_. He's getting to know her – even if she thinks that he should get to know _himself_ first.

She tears his stoic demeanor in halves and leaves him astounded, speechless. He's not used to this, to _her_, and she's glad of it.

The change is both gradual and sudden; at the beginning they're all kicks and punches and astute remarks, and Bat-devices and closed fists darting in the air, and arms trapping bodies, and legs kicking groins, and then, both gradually and suddenly, they're all provoking glances and taunting moves and bodies pressing to one another, and lips – _tongues_ – melting, and arms – _hands_ – wandering in places they shouldn't wander in – and they're close, so _close_.

And just as they're about to be closer, she pulls away, backs away, looks away – but not before giving him one last glance.

He is quite famous, but she is the only one who has ever seen him like that – she is the only one who has ever seen _the Batman_ look like _a complete idiot_ (eyes wide open, 'O-shaped' mouth. Nothing can hide that, not even the suit, not even the mask).

And that's what keeps her happy and cheerful all day, that's what makes her understand that she has won, again; that's what makes her smile, that's what makes her laugh – and when she laughs, Gotham's laughing with her.

Because Gotham is a woman – and women _always_ win.

7

Gotham is enigmatic.

He sees the bright side of it: there will always be a challenge for him, unless he decides to go away. But he couldn't, he wouldn't – he's bound to Gotham, and Gotham is bound to him. Gotham is a question in the shape of a city; a question that remains unanswered.

No, not a question: a labyrinth. A labyrinth of riddles. Once you're in, you can't get out; once you find the first answer, you're compelled to find the second, and the third, and the fourth…

Who? What? When? Where? How? But most of all, _why_?

Answer a question, and you'll be closer to the answer of the whole riddle. That is his suggestion.

Who? A man in a green, bright green suit. He comes from a very unfortunate family, and therefore has a very unfortunate past. He is scarred for life with screams, punches, kicks, and bruises that have faded for everybody who looks at him, but are still there when he looks at his own reflection in a mirror.

What? A robbery. Because if he has understood something in the past few years, it's that stealing money is like sucking the life out of Gotham. Because money makes the world go round, blah blah blah. He wants to get his money. Now. (And to leave his riddle, later.)

When? In plain daylight. Because nobody expects it. Because he can count on surprising his opponents. And because, well – _he_ won't be there if the sun is shining. _He_ won't be there if the moon is hiding. And the Batman is really the only one he's a little _afraid_ of.

Where? A bank. In the centre of Gotham. Because it's the biggest. And because everybody will be watching him, but nobody will be interfering. Because somewhere, somehow, someone will be enraged and won't be able to help. After all, _bats are nocturnal_.

How? The essential: audience. Lots and lots of hostages – it's plain daylight, let's not forget about that. The police officers won't move because he might decide to blow up the place. And poor little sad Commissioner Gordon doesn't want innocent people to die. (If he were to give any advice, he'd tell Gordon that no one is innocent, and no one can be trusted.) And yes, henchmen may be useful.

Why? Because he has seen enough of that. Because maybe he could have been one of the innocent ones, but he isn't, and he won't be, because some_thing_ evil made him turn into someone else. Not that he's not glad of it. Because life is unfair. Why is life unfair? There is no answer to that. And if he thinks of it, he recognizes that there is never a real answer to the question 'why?'.

Every _why_ leads to a _because_. After that _because_, comes another _why_. And so on. It's neverending.

People say that the hardest question to answer is "Who is the Batman?", but he has answered that long ago. The one, the only eternally unanswered riddle is not even a question – it's a city. It's Gotham.

Gotham is equivalent to a question, though.

And the question is, _why_?

8

Gotham is a man.

She doesn't accept any inquiries on her opinion. She is sure of that, and she won't change her mind. She has seen it all; she has seen it coming. She has been overwhelmed by it. She has been changed – irreversibly changed – by it. And whenever she thinks about sickness, despair, filth and corruption, she thinks about Gotham.

And whenever she thinks about Gotham, it takes the shape of a man. A man who, she _had_ thought, could be trusted. A man who had proven to be like every other man – _infected_. And man who had infected _her_.

But men are weak. And she knew that even before being contaminated. Men have _needs_.

Money, of course. Or they wouldn't be able to buy their stupid, useless toys, and knives, and guns, and explosives, and highly polluting chemical agents. They wouldn't be able to get almost unreachable substances that, if injected into the human body, can turn it into something _surreal_, but at the same time natural.

Along with money comes power. The oh-so-arousing sensation of being the one who has the capability of controlling every_thing_ and every_one_; the oh-so-exciting feeling of watching the world follow your own wishes, no matter what; the oh-so-electrifying emotion of performing your own will – no matter how cruel and aberrant it is – on somebody innocent; the oh-so-perverted way of watching somebody suffer for the effects of your anomalous work.

But what is power if you don't have anybody to control? _That_ is why men need women. There is no such thing as love or affection; there is greed, and then there is deceit, and falseness. Men have their inner souls, wretched and polluted; their souls tell them that women are weak. That they can use them for enjoying themselves, and that's all. That they can deceive them. That they can experiment their most ruthless theories on them.

But they are wrong. A woman isn't a man's need; it's a man's weakness. Her freckled face, long legs, wavy scarlet hair, and generous curves are the proof of that.

She doesn't like to admit it, but she is a product of Gotham. But when a parent gives birth to a child, somehow it is not considered that the succession of events may not occur as it was planned. Parents don't consider rebellious children as an option. But they should.

She is the daughter of Gotham; but she has become emancipated. You don't need a Bat-suit to fight against Gotham. But as the corrupted, impure ideology of the world was diffused by _males_, you are a hero if you are a _man_ who dresses up as a bat to fight crime. If you are a woman who doesn't dress up at all and uses nature as her main weapon to fight against – _men_ – Gotham, you are the villain.

She thinks that the best cure to that corruption is Nature herself. A _woman_ who can overwhelm Gotham – because she has been there long before it existed. And _she_ can clean up filth that nobody and nothing can clean up.

That is when Gotham will be poisoned with ferocity – and it will know, that women aren't a man's need.

They are a man's _weakness_.


End file.
